It's 1920. Warren G. Harding has just been elected President, prohibition is in full swing, the Nineteenth Amendment has given the vote to women, and America's first commercial radio station is on the air.

Silent films are at the peak of their popularity - from the few remaining Nickelodeons to the opulent, big-city movie palaces complete with live orchestras - America's first entertainment craze is in full swing. Vaudeville is dead. Television hasn't even been born yet.

The public's frenzy for their favorite screen personalities verged on mass hysteria, and one man in particular was singled out as the top box office attraction: Douglas Fairbanks.

The mere mention of his name could send the ladies into a swoon; his romantic adventures and heroic exploits also transformed male moviegoers into ardent Fairbanks fans.

That fact was never more evident than judging by the thousands of devotees that trailed Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford around the world after their March, 1920 wedding.

Later that year, the pair would become the first celebrity residents of Beverly Hills, moving into an old hunting lodge Doug had converted into a 42-room mansion for his new bride. A reporter dubbed it "Pickfair."

For the next decade, Pickfair would reign as the most prestigious address in America, second only to the White House.
 
 

Crowds surrounded the gates day and night, awaiting a glimpse of their hero riding his horse or taking Mary for a boat ride in Pickfair's gargantuan swimming pool.

Before Graceland, there was Pickfair. Before Beatlemania, there was Doug-and-Mary-mania.

Fairbanks was the movies' most elegant, dashing, and vital star in the `teens and 20s. His films, both his early comedies and the later swashbucklers, were nothing short of brilliant, inspiring both audiences and his fellow actors and filmmakers to this day. He was the screen's first Zorro -- the first Robin Hood -- and who brought us the first memorable film treatments of The Three Musketeers. Doug Fairbanks taught us how "action-adventure" was done.

He cast a long and lasting shadow over Hollywood -- a true pioneer of the silent era, Fairbanks was also a wise businessman with a vision for the future of the film industry, founding both United Artists and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He also helped to found the nation's first film school at a public university, the Department of Film at the University of Southern California in 1929.

In the glory days of silent cinema, Douglas Fairbanks was the original King of Hollywood. This is his story.

He was born Douglas Elton Thomas Ulman in Denver, Colorado on May 23, 1883. His father, Hezekiah Charles Ulman (read a full biography of H. Charles on page 2 of the Museum's "Early Years" web gallery), was a prominent New York attorney who had mining interests in the Rocky Mountains and relocated to the bustling cowtown of Denver in 1880.

Ulman had left a wife, two daughters, and a lucrative law practice behind to go West, but he did not make the cross-country journey alone. Traveling with him was the woman he would soon marry -  Ella Adelaide Marsh Weeks, a lovely Southern belle.

Ella and Charles had known each other for many years. When her first husband, John Fairbanks, had died suddenly of tuberculosis in 1873, Ulman put her late husband's legal affairs in order. Ella later moved to Atlanta and married a judge Edward Wilcox, who by all accounts turned out to be an abusive lout.

She went to Ulman again, and begged him to help her obtain a divorce from Wilcox. Although divorces were rarely granted to women in the 1870s, Ulman won the case and apparently, Ella's heart at the same time. They ran away together.

Ulman busied himself in Colorado with the mining business and by re-establishing his law offices. He and Ella had a baby boy, Robert (Doug's older brother) in 1881. Ulman loved the theatre and actually bore a startling resemblance to the actor Edwin Booth. Ulman often took his young sons to the theatre, sometimes taking the boys backstage to meet the cast of traveling productions -- often the sizeable Ulman household provided  traveling actors overnight accommodations.

Naturally, it wasn't long before Doug was reciting Shakespeare from memory. The early years of Doug's life were spent going on mining trips with his dad, learning to climb mountains, and, like most little boys, getting into as much trouble as possible. In many respects, Doug's first memories were those of a happy child -- but soon, they would be all that remained of his father.

Ulman was an alcoholic; his drinking only increased as all of his mining ventures failed and his fortunes decreased. Perhaps needing to escape the responsibilities of fatherhood, or in need of money himself, Ulman told his family he had decided to take a "temporary" position back in New York. In fact, he was campaigning for future President Benjamin Harrison. But the proud family's hopes were soon dashed when it became clear that H. Charles Ulman never intended to return.

Even though Doug was only five when his father abandoned him, Ulman's influence on Doug's character cannot be underestimated.  Perhaps it was due to Ulman that Doug chose to be an actor, to yearn for high society and to rub shoulders with Kings, Queens, and Presidents. Watching alcohol destroy his father's life and career compelled Doug to abstain from alcohol for most of his life. Conversely, the experience may have affected Doug's distant feelings toward fatherhood with his own son.

Doug also learned that he and his brother Robert were not exactly legitimate children, as Ulman had never bothered to officially divorce his former wife before running off to Denver with Ella! His mother taught him at a very young age to conceal the fact that he was half-Jewish, something he would keep a closely guarded family secret until the end of his life. The stigma attached to Jews in 19th century America was a tremendous obstacle to overcome for any family aspiring to a middle class social existence.

Ella would have been hard-pressed at that point to even provide a middle class lifestyle for the boys - Ulman had left her with nothing. She now had three boys - Douglas, Robert, and their older brother John Fairbanks, from her first marriage. Still infuriated at Ulman, she had the boys names legally changed to Fairbanks, wishing to associate them with the prestigious Fairbanks family name.

By the time he was eleven, young Douglas took to the stage, doing amateur theatre around the Denver area. He did summer stock at the famous Elitch Gardens Theatre and in his teens had become a sensation in the local theatre community. He was so in demand as an actor that he never even bothered to finish high school, dropping out in his senior year. Although he would later claim that he attended college at both Harvard and the Colorado School of Mines, none of this is true in actual fact.

In 1900, Doug moved to New York, seeking fame on the Broadway stage. He took odd jobs, working as both a cattle freighter and a clerk on Wall Street until he finally made his Broadway debut in 1902 as Florio in the Frederick Warde Company's production of "The Duke's Jester." Doug was ambitious, working hard to reach the top, yet true success on the stage eluded him for several years.

In 1907, he married Anna Beth Sully, a beautiful blonde girl and daughter of wealthy industrialist Daniel Sully ("the Cotton King"). Her father wanted Doug to come work for him, convincing him that the theatre was no way to support a family. Doug obliged, and moved into the Buchanan Soap Company's offices in the Flatiron Building. The job didn't last long; within six months, Doug was back on Broadway. It turned out to be a fortunate choice - a few months after his departure, the Buchanan Soap Company went broke and folded.

Doug's only son was born on December 9, 1909, named after his father. The next several years found Doug Sr. struggling to make a living on the stage; he could hardly provide the life that Beth, a socialite, expected for their new family. Tension surfaced at home, and it was clear that he would have to make a major change.

Douglas was already quite familiar with motion pictures, or "the flickers" as they were known among the "real actors" of Broadway, who scoffed at this new phenomenon. But Doug could not resist the $104,000 offer made to him by the Triangle Film Corporation in 1914, although he did balk at first - "I know it's a lot of money, but the movies!"

Douglas Fairbanks arrived in Hollywood in 1915, an unlikely candidate for movie stardom at age 31. He worked under the tutelage of a very skeptical D.W. Griffith, who said of Doug: "He's got a head like a cantaloupe and he can't act." In spite of these obstacles, Doug went on to become one of the most popular comedians of the silent screen, along with Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and his close friend Charlie Chaplin.

His first 26 films ranged from romances to wacky, madcap comedies; from social satires to westerns. To the uninitiated, these films may prove surprising - especially to those expecting the suave swordsman of his later trademark epic pictures, but who can resist the big-hearted idiot he portrays in 1916's "The Matrimaniac," or the hilariously incompetent detective Coke Ennyday from "The Mystery of The Leaping Fish." (1916)?

By late 1916, Douglas Fairbanks had gained such popularity that he was able to form his own production company, producing (and often writing under a pseudonym) his own movies as he saw fit, from his own studio on Santa Monica Boulevard. The Douglas Fairbanks Pictures Corporation, under the Paramount/Artcraft banner, released one hit film after another, bringing audiences much-needed laughter during the First World War.

Fairbanks was too old for active service in the war, and instead threw himself into the task of making propaganda films for the Allies to drum up public support for the troops. He also raised millions of dollars for the Red Cross and sold war bonds for both the American and Canadian governments' Liberty and Victory Loan Drives. In 1918, while on a Liberty Loan Bond Drive tour with Charlie Chaplin, he found himself involved in a secret love affair with Mary Pickford. The persistent rumors prompted Doug's wife, Beth Fairbanks, to file for divorce in November, 1918.

"Little Mary" was the most beloved actress of the silent screen, and the whole world had come to know her as "America's Sweetheart." Now, she was Doug's sweetheart. Their romance was Hollywood's best kept secret for more than two years; both of them were still married to other partners and neither could risk their careers on a scandal. What would the public think?

It was around this time that Doug started writing books of the self-help variety. Some called it "armchair philosophy"; others claimed the books were ghostwritten, but upon reading them, those familiar with Fairbanks will recognize the style as clearly his own. Titles like "Laugh and Live" (1917) and "Making Life Worthwhile" (1918) reveal the basic message in his texts.

Over the course of his career, Doug would publish five books, as well as numerous newspaper and magazine articles, short stories, and also penned most of his own film scenarios under the pseudonym of Elton Thomas. All of them are well worth reading. Fairbanks turned out to be a surprisingly prolific and talented writer in his own right.

He began to become more involved with the film industry as a businessman, and in 1919 formed the United Artists Corporation along with Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin, and D.W. Griffith. The goal of UA was to provide independent distribution for artists who produced their own movies, and to break the big studios practice of "block booking" pictures into theatres. The idea was fresh, new, ambitious, and for once, on the side of the artist.

It upset the balance in Hollywood, luring big name directors and stars away from major studio contracts to make their own pictures. Now, the lunatics had taken over the asylum, and a new era of filmmaking was born. UA restructured the "star system" as we know it.

1920 was a pivotal year in Fairbanks's career; not only did he and Mary take the risk of divorcing their partners and getting married publicly, but he also took a great artistic risk: at the height of his popularity, Douglas Fairbanks again tampered with the proven formula of stardom. Audiences around the world were used to him as a comic, but he threw out a curve ball with "The Mark Of Zorro," his first historical action adventure film. It turned out to be a tremendous success, and the classic tale of Don Diego Vega has been re-made over 50 times since. Safe to say both risks paid off generously.
 
 

Fairbanks followed up with more historic costume epics: "The Three Musketeers" (1921), "Robin Hood" (1922), "The Thief of Bagdad" (1924),"Don Q - Son of Zorro" (a 1925 sequel), "The Black Pirate" (1926), and "The Gaucho" (1927) - all stunningly beautiful works featuring the most outrageously expensive and elaborate sets money could buy, crowned of course, by the dashing hero and his love interest (you could always expect a great love story sub-plot in a Fairbanks picture). These films set the standard for the genre now known as "action-adventure" movies, with every last detail of production meticulously handled by Doug himself. These were his masterworks.

By 1927, Doug knew that his run as a box-office hero was drawing to a close. He was 44 years old, and could no longer look the part of the youthful swashbuckler or romantic lead, nor could he safely perform the dangerous stunts his audiences expected of him. He focused his attention instead of furthering the motion picture industry, which was undergoing major changes.

Instead of fighting the advent of sound films, he was one of the first to come out in favor of them; a short publicity film of Douglas speaking was sent to movie theatres around the globe. That year, he founded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was elected it's first President.

In addition, he was chiefly involved in the opening of Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, the world's premiere movie palace (he and Mary being the first stars to put their famed hand and footprints in wet cement outside the theatre, hence the tradition), and the adjacent Roosevelt Hotel (named for his hero, Teddy Roosevelt), where the Academy kept it's offices and where the first Academy Awards ceremonies were held in 1929.

Doug still found time to make films during this busy period, and they are actually some of his best works. For the first time, audiences saw another side of Fairbanks - a more fallible character, a handsome idol who was now desperately trying to cope with the complexities of growing old. Although box-office receipts for films such as "The Gaucho" (1927), "The Iron Mask" (1928), and "Reaching For The Moon" (1931) were disappointing, these efforts are still very memorable, revealing more than a comic, hero, or lover - they showed a real man plagued by real problems.
 

For over a decade, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford had ruled the world as Hollywood's King and Queen, by far the most popular film thespians of their time. Yet, these two had never made a picture together. When they finally agreed to do Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" in 1929, it came too late.

The film was a colossal disaster, and the pair fought constantly during it's making. When it flopped at the box office, Doug and Mary blamed each other. Many point to this film as the reason for their subsequent breakup, although Doug's constant absence and infidelity combined with Mary's alcoholism and fits of ill-temperament were also major contributing factors. Success had turned sour, failure took it's toll on a once-happy couple.

When his son, Doug Jr., decided to marry Joan Crawford in 1929, Doug and Mary disapproved loudly - their suspicions may not have been completely unfounded, as the marriage was troubled and only lasted a short time. Perhaps it was the mutual marital troubles that helped to bring father and son together again after a considerable period of estrangement; Doug Sr. had never liked the idea of Doug Jr.'s occupational choice. One famous actor in the family was enough, he reasoned. It was not easy for the aging Fairbanks Sr. to watch his young, dashing son take over the romantic leading roles that were once reserved for the elder Fairbanks.

By the early 30s, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford were forgotten relics. Hollywood was full of fresh new faces, including Doug Jr., who was now making a name for himself as an actor (much to his father's regret). The industry had changed so much in such a short time: the days of presenting motion pictures as art were out; a new era of gangster movies, horrors, westerns, and musicals were in.
 
 

Silent films had been left behind seemingly overnight, along with most of the stars of the era. Doug did not approve of the way the industry was going as he watched it grow from humble beginnings to mammoth proportions.

Fairbanks was particularly disturbed by the new direction of his own company, United Artists (under the iron fist of Samuel Goldwyn), and eventually lost interest in the business altogether.

He began to travel extensively, absenting himself for long months at a time. These trips are documented in the travelogue Around The World In 80 Minutes (1931) and Mr. Robinson Crusoe (1932), the latter being filmed entirely on location in Tahiti and the South Seas.

In 1933, Doug and Mary formally announced their retirement from motion pictures, and soonafter, their permanent separation. It would take another three years for their divorce to be legally finalized.

Doug made one final film in 1934, Alexander Korda's brilliant The Private Life Of Don Juan, a revealing look at an aging lover whose reputation has outrun him. Many consider it to be the most personal and revealing performance of Doug's career.
 
 

By 1936, his divorce from Mary became official, and within months, he married his longtime mistress, Lady Sylvia Ashley (who would later wed Clark Gable). His health was starting to fail him; Doug began to experience heart trouble. No more leaping from balconies.

The final years of his life were spent between an endless flurry of cruise ships (Doug was an experienced world traveler) and in quiet retirement at his home in Santa Monica, overlooking the Pacific ocean.

In early 1939, Doug got the itch to make another film, and began writing a script called "The Californian," which was sadly still unfinished at the time of his death.

On Dec. 12, 1939, Douglas Fairbanks died in his sleep of a heart attack at age 56.

The King of Hollywood was gone.

He is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. (see photo below)
 

Thanks in no small part to the efforts of Douglas Fairbanks Jr., many of his finest films have been preserved, and have been reissued in clean, sharp video and DVD versions from Kino, as part of their "Douglas Fairbanks - King Of Hollywood" series and recent DVD boxed set.  Also look for a new series of Fairbanks films to be released by Delta Entertainment in 2005, along with a new documentary film about his extraordinary life and work, prepared with the assistance of the Douglas Fairbanks Museum.

Doug's early comedies from the 1910s are often hard to find - some have literally disintigrated into dust. You can often see his films on the Turner Classic Movies and American Movie Classics cable networks, his work is still often screened at silent film festivals worldwide, and high-quality prints of his pictures are available through many online video retailers.

Next time you're browsing for movies to add to your collection, instead of Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Tyrone Power, or even Mel Gibson, check out the original King of Hollywood. Douglas Fairbanks made (and broke!) the mold first.

**Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. passed away at the age of 90 on May 7, 2000. He is buried with his father at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Visit http://www.HollywoodForever.com for a beautiful final tribute to both father and son.
 
 

"Stars of the Silent Cinema, 1900-1930"
Book excerpt copyright 1997, Keri Leigh.  All rights reserved.

Leigh is Founder and Curator of the Douglas Fairbanks Museum, and is currently penning a new biography of Douglas Fairbanks, to be released in the fall of 2009. She also served as editor on the museum's new literary collection, Douglas Fairbanks: In His Own Words, available here.

All text and images are protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is strictly prohibited.

www.DouglasFairbanks.org